The Colorado Rapids out-Wells-balled themselves at Empower Field.
Of the five goals scored in a 3-2 thriller in front of a record crowd of 75,824, Colorado was responsible for four of them. The difference was a classic Lionel Messi strike in the 79th minute to win it for Inter Miami CF.
Still, it felt like a goal was met and an exciting product was delivered on Saturday afternoon in front of the second-largest crowd in MLS history — one that could bring a new group of soccer fans down I-70 to Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in the future.
“There was one team on the pitch. I thought we were outstanding from start to finish,” Rapids coach Matt Wells said. “Nothing but pride for the performance, itap a travesty we didn’t win the game. … I’m proud that we’re changing the status quo — we were the dominant team on the pitch today and thatap the thing that makes me the happiest.”
That wasn’t necessarily the feeling 45 minutes into the game. Miami finished the half up by two goals, after two bad mistakes by Colorado. First was a penalty kick conceded on a bad turnover inside the box. Miami pressed more than the Rapids expected, especially early, and it bit them in the 17th minute.
Colorado invites the pressure ultra deep in its own area often, but Josh Atencio took a wayward touch on a pass from Zack Steffen. After Rodrigo De Paul pounced, Atencio stuck a foot out and tripped him. The penalty wasn’t initially called, but Video Assistant Referee intervened and overturned it. Messi rolled the penalty across the line.
That wasn’t the worst mistake of the day. With around 20 seconds left before the whistle was supposed to blow for halftime, the Rapids opted to play negative into their own box again. Some confusion led to a 50/50 jump ball, which Miami won and worked in a cross, and Germán Berterame headed it in at the back post.
“(The goals were) a bit frustrating and not deserved. I saw the stats on the big screen, we had six or seven shots and they had two, and thatap just how football goes,” defender Rob Holding said. “Sometimes teams come in, have 20% possession and go away with a win. But itap something we can build on in terms of our performance and be more ruthless in the final third.”
At that point, the Rapids had hold of the game for the most part, but couldn’t quite capitalize on the offensive opportunities they created. That changed quickly in the second half.
Part of forward Rafael Navarro’s evolution from good to great to start this season is a new tendency to drop further as possession develops. When Wayne Frederick laid off a cute pass to the Brazilian at midfield, Miami gave him nothing but space to dribble at its back line. He waited patiently for Maximiliano Falcón to stab at the ball, evaded the tackle and beat Dayne St. Clair with a back-post shot in the 58th minute. It was Navarro’s sixth goal this season.
Denver native Darren Yapi subbed on two minutes later and was the recipient of a perfect through-ball from 18-year-old Australian centerback Lucas Herrington. The buildup was different, but the 62nd-minute finish was a carbon copy of Navarro’s.
In the 79th, Miami got a turnover and caught Colorado without numbers, leaving Messi on the ball one-on-one with Herrington. As the Argentine star does, he cut to his left at lightning speed and curled a shot into the top left corner for the win.
The Rapids finished with 61% possession, one of the numbers Wells cherishes most from game to game. Miami is known for its possession, but it opted on numerous occasions to boot the ball down the field and dare Colorado to keep pushing.
Despite the result, the Rapids proved they can compete with the league’s top teams, which was the missing piece in the early portion of Wells’s tenure. But he said he wants to be included in that conversation rather than have others consider his team the underdog in a game like Saturday’s.
He has the next two matches to make that argument. First, a trip to LAFC, arguably the best Western Conference team, at a stadium where the Rapids have never walked out the victor. Then a trip to Vancouver, last year’s MLS Cup runner-up, and the top team in the West standings.
The Rapids’ mantra has been to make the next opponent the victim of an outcome like Saturday’s.
“When you say we’re going to play the two top teams in the west, my brain says, ‘We’re the best team in the west,’ which I know is not correct because we have to prove it over a sustained period of time,” Wells said. “We can’t just accept playing excellent, eye-catching football, pressing well and having a good tactical structure. We have to marry that with consistent results over time and prove we’re a big team from a results perspective as well.
“…Tonight, I saw a team that performed like a big team with a proper mentality with a huge personality. … That gives me massive hope that if we keep building and stick on this path, it won’t be long before you’re asking me a question about us being the top team around Vancouver and LAFC.”
